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Prince of Darkness

Play trailer Poster for Prince of Darkness R Released Oct 21, 1987 1h 42m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
62% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Poking around in a church cellar, a priest (Donald Pleasence) finds an otherworldly vial filled with slime. Frightened, he brings his discovery to a circle of top scholars and scientists, who eventually learn that the strange liquid is the essence of Satan. The slime then begins to seep out, turning some of the academics into zombified killers. As the possessed battle the survivors, student Kelly (Susan Blanchard) is infected by a large quantity of the liquid and becomes Satan personified.
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Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness

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Critics Consensus

Prince of Darkness has a handful of chillingly clever ideas, but they aren't enough to put John Carpenter's return to horror at the same level as his classic earlier outings.

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Critics Reviews

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Phil Hoad Guardian Close to a decade's experience in horror pays off, with Carpenter working the audience with jump-scares and revolting demises like an old pro. Rated: 4/5 Oct 25, 2018 Full Review Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times John Carpenter seems to be hovering between cold-eyed mechanical fear-making and horror camp. Oct 5, 2018 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune ''Prince of Darkness'' is a real tour de force, and a welcome return. Oct 5, 2018 Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages The pitiful villainy at play within Prince of Darkness only points to humanity’s fundamental weakness: the fragility of our mortal bodies and our inability to face that truth. Jun 5, 2024 Full Review Kristy Strouse Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying This take on demonic horror is truly a strange bit of cinema, but a welcoming addition to a long list of talented work. Come for Carpenter, stay for the weird. Dec 1, 2023 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand [John Carpenter's] images are superb but his ideas are even more unnerving. Oct 29, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Chief B This is for me one of John Carpenter's finest works. Honestly I don't get why some people dislike this movie. The story is great and original , the atmosphere is creepy, the effects are insanely stylish and well done. I love this movie and John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. His movies after in the mouth of madness are definitely not good but everything before included in the mouth of madness are top notch. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/26/24 Full Review Greybrother D Not a movie everyone is going to jive with. It can come off as either strange and boring, or as a deft experiment in mood and a slow building dread, treading in some fascinating ideas on the metaphysical and supernatural. It's really a little of both, and only works precariously if at all, but it's John Carpenter doing his thing. Worth watching more for the vibe than for a riveting story. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/24 Full Review Tim B Legit one of the most effective low budget horrors of all time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/23/24 Full Review Steve C A great old fashioned horror starring the great Donald Pleasence. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/19/24 Full Review Aldis H One of my favorite horror movies. I've seen it at least five times. The future communication thing is a great idea and very scary. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/11/24 Full Review Alec B Contains some of Carpenter's most potent imagery. I also like the attempt to physically contextualize evil and while the success of that attempt may be debatable I don't think the originality of the ideas can be. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Prince of Darkness

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Cast & Crew

Prince of Darkness

Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Undying Evil Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Undying Evil 1:34 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - You Will Not Be Saved! Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - You Will Not Be Saved! 1:55 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - The Devil's Spit Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - The Devil's Spit 2:00 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Bicycle Stab Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Bicycle Stab 1:14 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Axe-Wielding Exorcist Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Axe-Wielding Exorcist 2:31 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Susan Possessed Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Susan Possessed 1:07 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Satanic Zombie Attack Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Satanic Zombie Attack 2:51 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Touched by a Devil Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Touched by a Devil 1:49 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Satanic Slime Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Satanic Slime 2:41 Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Pray for Death Prince of Darkness: Official Clip - Pray for Death 2:15 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Poking around in a church cellar, a priest (Donald Pleasence) finds an otherworldly vial filled with slime. Frightened, he brings his discovery to a circle of top scholars and scientists, who eventually learn that the strange liquid is the essence of Satan. The slime then begins to seep out, turning some of the academics into zombified killers. As the possessed battle the survivors, student Kelly (Susan Blanchard) is infected by a large quantity of the liquid and becomes Satan personified.
Director
John Carpenter
Producer
Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter
John Carpenter
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Alive Films
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 21, 1987, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 6, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.9M
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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